(CNN) - With only three primary contests remaining in the prolonged race for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton is stepping up her efforts to convince potential voters and the party's superdelegates that she is a stronger general election candidate than Barack Obama.

In a particularly spirited speech Tuesday night at a Montana campaign event, the New York Senator suggested Obama is much more likely to lose to presumptive Republican nominee John McCain next fall.

"We have not gone through this exciting unprecedented historic election only to lose," Clinton said at an event in Billings, Montana.

"You have to ask yourself who is the stronger candidate?" she continued. "And based on every analysis of every bit of research and every poll that’s been taken and every state that a democrat has to win, I am the stronger candidate against John McCain in the fall."

It was not immediately clear which polls and states Clinton was specifically referencing.

Recent polls out of the crucial swing states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida have indicated she has a better chance of beating McCain in those places than Barack Obama. But the Illinois senator performs better is several other swing states that Democrats have historically had difficulty winning, such as New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado.

soundoff(955 Responses)

Tyler in Raleigh, NC

Are those the same polls that last year said she would win the primary by huge margins against Obama, Edwards and the rest??

Its great that you can see into the future so certainly and know you can win a general election, when you have messed up so badly in a primary.... bad money management, campaign staff fighting and delusional message that changes every week.

I may be old school, but I always thought you claimed to be the best when you ACTUALLY WON something. You are LOSING in delegates now, but you want the popular vote to count (which it doesnt, sadly).... bu then you want to use electoral math in November?

Its a great system for Clinton, chose the metric and rules that suits you to set the standards to judge others by.

May 28, 2008 10:38 am at 10:38 am |

Terri

Sad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May 28, 2008 10:38 am at 10:38 am |

Jim

Reported once again by Hillery's best supporter CNN. Your coverage yesterday of Obama's naming of the wrong work camp was priceless. Your own reporters had trouble keeping a straight face when trying to compare it to Clintons snipergate.

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

Erik

I guess Hillary likes to only pick polls that have her leading, and not Obama.

Most of the polls that have her leading are because McCain and the GOP are attacking Obama and not her.

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

Western Carolina Reader

I was torn at the beginning of the season, I really liked BOTH candidates, having been a big fan of Bill, and being very progressive I tended toward Hillary, but after the way she's conducted the campaign I just cannot feel positive toward her. Ultimately its just sad that its gotten to this point. I wont bash Hillary, I'm just very disappointed in her and Bill.

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

wonder

She doesn't give up because too many people believe that SHE IS THE STRONGER one to beat McCain. She has experience which Obama doesn't have, he has dreams, wishes, NO PLANS, NO SOLUTIONS just words. He has MIS-SPOKEN, just as often as Clinton, but when she does, it's called lies by Obama, when he does it's OK, otherwise you're a racist. I'm so fed up with this primary. Let it finish already, see who has the most VOTES and then go on from there. BUT THINK, what else don't we know about Obama yet??? Like all the people who voted for him on Feb 5th and before didn't know about a lot of things that have come up, like his religious MENTOR, etc. Do you really think that they all would have voted the same way??? The supers need to decide this and to really think about who can win. If not it will be McCain and HOPEFULLY a dem congress. I'm an independant, I vote for experience, we had enough of Bush and his inexperience, even though he had been governor, he had no worldwide knowledge, he also set up a (supposedly) knowledgeable bunch of people around him and look where it got us.

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

Reason

It's the Energizer bunny commercial, isn't it?

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

DEMOCRATS UNITE!!!

HILLARY, WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS, IF YOU ARE A SO CALLED "BETTER CANDIDATE", MORE EXPERIENCED, AND ALL THE ABOVE, HOW COME YOU CAN'T BEAT OBAMA, A ROOKIE IN POLITICS, IN A PRIMARY ELECTION??? HOW CAN U BE A STRONGER CANDIDATE IF YOU HAVE LOOSING EVERY CATEGORY IN THE ELECTION PROCESS LIKE PLEDGED DELEGATES, SUPERDELEGATES, STATES WON, POPULAR VOTE(INCLUDE MI AND FL, BUT ALSO CAUCAUS STATES). GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

fairandstraight

I wonder how the superdelegates feels after they have been tricked to wait until all states have voted before casting their support behind the front-runner. Did they not realize that Sen. Clinton wanted them to wait so she would have more time to organize a protest to split the party even more.

The process is not based on polls, it's based on delegates in which she can not catch up. Sure the republicans will help her all they can to keep the party divided, but in the fall, they will not support her.

Sen Obama 08!!!!

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

Jon, PA

Hey! Cameras! Over here! I have something to say! Pay attention to me...please? Those other guys who actually have a chance of winning? Yeah, they're big meanyheads who can't possibly win as long as you use the math I just created in my head. Sure it doesn't follow "normal" math "rules", but it totally makes sense- i promise!

Seriously guys! I'm talking! Pay attention!....come on...I'll give you $5, even though I owe it to Ohio...please?

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

Ken

Hillary must be right for there seems to be only Silence from the Obama campaign. Obama should acknowledge he is on the downside and relinquish to the stronger candidate if the Democrats are to win in November.

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

John Cruz

I like the snow in the mountain background, must have receded and melted significantly since the mid winter Iowa primary. Just like Mrs. Clinton’s fate.

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

I have a dream

obama is the better candidate. more people have voted for him

Do we really want the uneducated poor to decide who the president is of the US? These are the same people that voted in Bush.

Obama is better.

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

Damion K. Miles

I believe that you have to at least win your party's nomination before you can talk about how strong you are in the general election. I think that her way of thinking is so inside the box that she is not capable of putting New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and states like that in the Democratic column. This is the change that Barack is talking about. According to her, the only way that a democrat can win is to change the minds of republicans, independents and undecideds in a few states. Well, Barack has gotten more of all of those votes than she has. I believe that Barack will do just fine in the general election.

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

Jonb, Colorado

Shes gotta do what shes gotta do. Leave her be and this will soon be over.

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

wwIowa

OMG...can someone get her out of this race...fast...

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

PW

Hillary talks of the party being united after the primary, but with her supporters saying they will vote for McCain or not at all if she is not the nominee, then how can it.

The other question is because she is so hell bent on staying in this race, at the end of the day when she doesn't get her way......WHO WILL SHE VOTE FOR? In that boothe there is only her and God. I would love to be a fly on the wall.

Hillary for the good of the pary, please do the right thing.

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

Barbara,

If she is more electable than Obama, why does he have more delegates than her? The same people that voted to give him more delegates are the same ones that will be voting in November. The only reason why those poles are showing those number is because she had turned this into "Women against Men" and more Women are willing to go out and take part in these poles because they want to try and prove a point to the men. Well I am a woman that did like Hillary but after all the things she had done in this campaign she turned me off. Does she not believe that if she gets the nomination over Obama's and people sees how she manipulated the process to get it, his supporters will not turn out for her either? Does she think that Limbart and the GOP that are out voting for her now to push this process out longer to screw up her party will actually vote for her in Novemer. They will laugh at the DNC and say "mission accomplished"

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

Animal Farmish

I can't believe all the rhetoric and spin coming from this woman. I can respect each American's right to the vote, but to become a follower and not an independently thinking voter is not living up to our civic duty.

As of yesterday Obama is beating McCain in Ohio as well as Pennsylvania – Hillary wins. This means the Democractic platform is what American's are interested in, not Barack, not Hillary.

If she manages to somehow change the rules and become the nominee, then this will strike a serious blow to those groups, minorities, women, and immigrants who have been told that American achievement is based on hard work and merit, not maneuvering and relationships. T

his primary nomination is much more serious and important from an American morale than supporters in either camp realize.

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

King of NJ

YO!!! CLINTION ..... TROW IN THE TOWEL

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

white middle aged woman FOR OBAMA

What is it with this woman ?. I think all of America has growen tired of what the last 8 years of Republican rule have done to our country. Can't she sense that we are ready for change, which includes no more Clinton whitehouse as well ?. The republicans do not stand a chance in November. Not to mention the fact that when Obama is the nominee how is she going to support him as she said she would after making statements like this ?.
I used to go republican, but not this time around. Obama has my support all the way !!

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

Audrey Marie

Obama has been kind to Hillary.. He should stop being nice. She is a very ambitious, egotistical ,dangerous woman.
She is splitting the demo party so they cannot win. Someone has to stop her.
Obama 2008.

May 28, 2008 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

Monica

She only sees what she wants to see...she is blind to all but her own surging ambitions. She is the one tearing the party apart with her rhetoric..but you will never convince her of that because she cant see beyond what she wants. She has a spin for everything. Great politician, but a dreadful human being. We deserve better.

May 28, 2008 10:40 am at 10:40 am |

Shannon in Galesburg, IL

Let her say what she wants. It would take a comeback of greater proportions than the '04 Red Sox for her to win the nomination now. The important thing is that she comes on board to endorse and support Obama's Presidential campaign after the convention.

May 28, 2008 10:40 am at 10:40 am |

Hillary Clinton Liar from Day 1

WHY CAN'T HILLARY CLOSE THE DEAL?

Clinton said: "I'm The Better Candidate 'Based On Every Analysis, Every Poll'